Category: Mood And Sleep Disorders

Antidepressants Can Cause Depression Says Jacksonville Beach Natural Health Doctor And Chiropractor, Dr. John Davenport.

One in three doctor visits by women now involve a prescription for an antidepressant medication and one in ten American women take at least one antidepressant drug. Americans now spend more money on antidepressants than the Gross National Product of two-thirds of the world’s countries.

The FDA cautions that antidepressants increase the risk of suicide in those under the age of eighteen. Just as alarming is the fact that many of the SSRI drugs have proven to be inefficient (worthless) in the treatment of adolescent depression.

In fact suicide occurs more than twice as much on antidepressants than on sugar pills in individuals under age 25. This statistic is even more scandalous when you learn that Eli Lilly, the producers of Prozac, knew from their earliest trials in 1985 that Prozac increased the risk of suicide by as much as 12 to 1 over placebo or non-SSRI antidepressants.

It may surprise you to know that the FDA approved Prozac based on only 14 studies involving 286 patients over a period of 6 weeks. Of the 14 studies submitted for review, only 3 proved Prozac was more effective than placebo or non-SSRI anti-depressants. Almost half of the studies showed that those taking SSRI antidepressant medications did just as well by taking a placebo or sugar pill. The other half showed that overall improvement for individuals on SSRI drugs increased their Hamilton Rating Scale by only two points compared to those on placebo.

Courtroom documents revealed this little gem from GlaxoSmith-Kline: “Essentially, the study [concerning Paxil] did not really show it was effective in treating adolescent depression; which is not something we want to publicize.” Said their e-mail. Other SSRI drugs have been found to be equally as dangerous.

Zoloft has also been linked to suicidal tendencies. The pediatric studies involving Zoloft show it to be no more than 10 percent effective than placebo. Also, side effects were three hundred times more likely to occur in those taking Zoloft than a placebo.

Common side effects include: anxiety, depression, headache, muscle pain, chest pain, nervousness, sleepiness, drowsiness, weakness, changes in sex drive or impotence, tremors, dry mouth, stomach irritation, loss of appetite, nausea, rashes, itching, weight gain, diarrhea, hair loss, dry skin, bronchitis, abnormal heart beat, twitching, anemia, low blood sugar, and low thyroid.

As a doctor, and one who works with mood disorders, I have seen first hand how these drugs interact with patients. If you’ll notice, many of the side effects mimic the symptoms that the patient is being treated for in the first place.

Many times the side effects are written off as the natural progression of the patient’s illness. In effect if a patient commits suicide on one of these medications it is not reported as an adverse reaction to the drug, but blamed on the patient’s illness.

Just as concerning are the studies showing that using these drugs causes the brain to decrease the release of serotonin. SSRI medications work by blocking the removal of serotonin from its neural synapse. Over time, the brain tries to compensate by shutting down the nerves that produce the neurotransmitter. This is known as down-regulation.

Eventually the brain begins to reduce the number of serotonin receptors- up to 40-60 percent in some parts of the brain. This continues until the receptors literally disappear from the brain.

Besides the SSRI drugs being ineffective, this explains one of the reasons patients switch from one anti-depressant to another.

I could go on about this topic for some time and will probably discuss it some more in the future, but to keep it short, I’ll conclude with what I do in my practice that has shown excellent results.

I prefer to use amino acid therapies sometimes combined with essential vitamins and minerals. This provides the raw ingredients that make neurotransmitters. It’s like filling the tank with fuel; instead of the medical approach that just tries to get by on an empty tank.

I’ve found very few problems mixing amino acids with prescription antidepressants. In fact, ninety percent of my patients are initially taking these medications when first starting them on amino acid replacement therapy. As they show improvement, they are weaned off their SSRI medications which impose a risk on their future heath.

Don’t under estimate the potential of amino acid therapy. When the patients are properly diagnosed and treated accordingly, I have personally found amino acid replacement therapy to be highly effective and without the dangerous and sometimes tragic adverse reactions which are commonly seen in these pharmaceuticals.

If you would like to read more on amino acids and see my questionnaire which helps to diagnose amino acid deficiencies Click Here.

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As natural health care provider and chiropractic physician in Jacksonville Beach Fl., I see my job as educating, coaching, and nurturing my patients to better health and wellness.

Yours In Health,

Dr. John D.

www.davenportnaturalhealth.com